Anubis' Funeral
by Isabel Night
Summary: The 8 Armor Bearers bury Anubis. Rated PG because one of the characters thinks about commiting Seppuku.
1. Disclaimer and Prolouge

Disclaimer  
  
I don't own the Dark Warlords or Ronin Warriors; they belong to their respective companies and owners.  
This fanfic is based on research I did on Japanese funerals.  
  
Anubis' Funeral  
Isabel Night  
  
Prologue  
  
Cale, Dais, and Sekhmet were walking around the castle grounds thinking. After Talpa's defeat, the three ex-Warlords had made significant progress in cleaning up the Nether Realm, but when the choice came for them to either stay in the Nether Realm or leave for the Mortal Realm, the ex-Warlords decided to stay in the only home they had known for 400 years. Now their duties included dispersing justice, training an army, governmental duties, reorganization of temples, and setting up a uniform code of worship. Dais, Cale, Sekhmet, and Kayura busied themselves in these matters, but no one dared to bring up the Taboo subject of Anubis' death.  
While still deep in his thoughts, Cale absently noted that there was something in the water. At first, he ignored the object, but when he thought he saw a flash of Red-Brown hair, he immediately ran towards it. Sekhmet and Dais didn't notice Cale leaving their small group, until they heard the ex-Warlord of Corruption screaming like an injured wolf. As the ex-Warlords of Illusion and Venom ran towards their brother-in-arms, they noticed that the Warrior of Winter was calling the darkness, surrounding him and whatever was in his arms in shadows. "Cale," Dais asked "What is it?"  
"Come here," Cale whispered.  
As the two former Warlords made their way towards their friend, Dais and Sekhmet saw Cale clutching Anubis' cold, limp body.  
Sekhmet's breathing started to get shorter and faster, a clear sign he was trying not to cry. Dais stared at the body, shaking and twitching, until he kneeled next to Cale, "We have to give Anubis full ceremony," Dais shuddered, trying to get over the shock.  
"I'll call the Ronins," Cale nodded, "They need to participate too."  
Dais slowly nodded, even though he still hated Ronin Warriors and the Ancient One for keeping Anubis away from his "brothers." All three Seasons bore Anubis' corpse into the castle, thankful that Kayura would be not be present when they would place their leader and friend in the earth. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
Around 1:45 in the afternoon, the telephone rang inside the Koji household. "Ryo!" Sage yelled, "Could you get that?"  
"Sure," Ryo yelled back as he picked up the phone. "Hello."  
"Wildfire, is that you?" The voice on the other end of the line asked.  
"Cale, what's up?" Ryo replied, trying to have a normal conversation.  
"I need you, Strata, Halo, Hardrock, and Torrent to come to the Nether Realm." Cale said flatly.  
"Why?" Ryo answered, puzzled at Cale's flat tone of voice.  
"It's just…how can I put this…we found Anubis," Cale choked out, "and we need all the remaining armor bearers to come to the funeral."  
"How does 7 o'clock sound?" Ryo asked, fighting back the tears.  
"Fine," Cale replied as he quickly hung up the payphone.  
Ryo started to cry. Of all the times, now it had to happen. The others were trying to move on, but this phone call will just throw everyone back into the grieving cycle. Rowen walked in the kitchen and noticed that something was bothering his leader. "Ryo what's wrong?"  
"They found Anubis," Ryo choked out.  
Tears began to form in Rowen's eyes, "What time?"  
"7 o'clock," Ryo grimaced.  
"I'll tell the others," Rowen replied as he left the kitchen. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
As the Ronins walked through the gates that lead to the Nether Realm, everyone was quiet. As all five Warriors passed through the castle gate, Ryo noticed a white piece of paper in a black frame. When the Ronins walked in the front door, Ryo noticed another white sheet of paper in a black frame. As all five Elementals entered the commons area of the castle, they saw Anubis' body on a stone-like altar, illuminated by a thousand candles. Cale was in one of the corners, staring blankly at the body, and trying not to be seen by his former enemy. 'He looks like he's lost the will to do this funeral,' Sage thought. 'I've never seen him with this dazed and defeated look before.'  
Sage walked over to his opposite, "It's going to be okay," the Warrior of Light promised the Warrior of Darkness.  
"He's dead," Cale said in flat tone, "and the only good thing is that no one can harm him now."  
"I know," Sage said sadly, "but don't you miss him?"  
"Yes, I do," Cale blurted out with tears running down his face, "but I'm glad he's with the people who truly cared about him."  
"And yet you're crying," Sage countered.  
"His was my best friend, Halo. I miss him, but part of me knows that if he ever comes back to the Realm of the Living, we would only bring him more pain."  
As Cale walked away, Sage shook his head. The Warrior of Wisdom knew that his former enemy was grieving, but there was a painful truth to his words. 'Was Anubis ever safe with them?' Sage thought, 'or would it have mattered if he had been on our side?'  
  
Sekhmet took Anubis' body and washed it with hot water. As the ex-Warlord of Venom continued to prepare the corpse, he asked Dais to get him an article of white clothing or something Anubis liked to wear before he died. Five minutes later, Dais returned to the preparatory room with a pale blue kimono decorated with silver cherry blossoms. It was Anubis' favorite article of clothing, and he wore it as many times as he could. After they clothed their leader's body, Dais and Sekhmet brought the corpse out of the preparatory room and placed it on the stone-like altar in the commons room. After the body was positioned in the northern direction, a white sheet was placed over their lifeless savior.  
Dais lit as many candles as he could, not caring if the light hurt Cale's eyes. The candles were a symbol of the light that Anubis had given them. Somehow, if the great Moon Kami, Tsukiyomi had chosen someone to bring his light into the darkness, it would haven been Anubis.  
Anubis was always the light in the group. Even before they turned him into a Warlord, he was the light that counteracted their darkness. He would never be the sun, that light was for the day. He was the moon, the light that broke the darkness in all of them, including Cale. Before Cale had met Anubis, the Warlord of Corruption had a withdrawn personality, and didn't really talk or become friends with anyone. What really amazed Dais and Sekhmet was the fact that Anubis seemed to be the only person who could bring Cale out of his shell. But after 400 years of service as a Warlord, Talpa's evil almost destroyed the familiar light within Anubis' soul. Somehow, with Strata's help, the light in Anubis' soul began to shine again. Dais knew that if a natural object represented Anubis, it would be without a doubt, the moon. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Cye was in the kitchen cooking something to eat. The castle had been filled with many people who had come over to offer money for incense and to express their sorrow. Traditionally, there would be an all night wake and he knew everyone would get hungry. Thankfully, Sekhmet showed him where the kitchen was so he could do some light cooking. There was another reason why Cye wanted to escape into the kitchen. Dais and Ryo had been debating on if they should bury Anubis or cremate him. Sage ended the debate by saying that if the Kami wanted to give Anubis back, then Warlord of Cruelty would have to be buried. While the conversation had been going on, Cye brewed some tea and rolled some rice balls.  
Sekhmet was watching Cye. For some odd reason, Cye's innocence and trust reminded him of Anubis. The ex-Warlord of Venom mentally slapped himself for that thought; Anubis and Torrent were two totally different people, but they both had this special light in them. Sekhmet had wanted to make Anubis a Warlord after the young soldier had talked to and treated the Warlord of Venom as if he were a normal person and not some type of freak. When Anubis' lord refused to surrender Anubis to Talpa, Sekhmet made the older man suffer an excruciatingly painful death. For 400 years, Talpa almost killed the light in Anubis' soul. A soul that forced its way back to the surface after Strata destroyed the Armor of Cruelty's helmet. "Torrent," Sekhmet cleared his throat, startling Cye, "can you tell Strata thank you for his part in freeing Anubis."  
"Rowen doesn't see it like that." Cye said sadly.  
"What do you mean?" Sekhmet questioned.  
"Rowen told me that he was the one who had the responsibility to take care of Anubis," Cye began. "He knew that keeping Anubis away from you, Dais, Cale, and Talpa was part of the job. But even now, I still don't know if Rowen was expected to protect Anubis from himself."  
"Strata's not expected to do everything," Sekhmet countered.  
"But protecting people is part of our job," Cye stated, "and Rowen felt that it was part of his job to protect Anubis"  
"Why do you say that Torrent?" Sekhmet asked.  
"We are the first friends he's ever had." Cye said flatly, "He doesn't want to lose us."  
"When you think about Anubis' death, what do you feel?" Sekhmet questioned.  
Cye finished the rice balls and placed the finished food on a tray he had taken from one of the smaller cabinets in the kitchen. Then Warrior of Trust turned to Sekhmet and looked at his former enemy straight in the eye, "I want to trust he's in a better place, but I know he wasn't perfect. In the western part of the world, what he did is considered the ultimate act of love, and I consider it the ultimate act of love too. But I also know that his suffering is over. No one can touch him, use him, manipulate him, or harm him."  
Cye walked out of the kitchen with the food. Sekhmet smiled as he absorbed Torrent's words. Anubis' suffering was over, but what Cye didn't know was that the other Warlords, the one's who were supposed to be Anubis' friends, were the ones who made the Warrior of Spring suffer in the first place. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Dais rushed from the commons area to his room. He didn't want to see the people giving out condolences, he didn't want to see the body, and he didn't want to deal this. Dais entered his room and slammed the door shut. "DAMN YOU ANCIENT ONE!" Dais screamed, "WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM FROM US? WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO TELL US?"  
Then Dais thought of the being that snuffed out Anubis' life, "Damn you Talpa!" Dais whispered in a string of heartbreaking sobs, "You bastard, you took Anubis from us. You got exactly what you deserved!"  
When Dais couldn't hold his weight anymore, he sank to his knees. Why did Anubis have to die? He had started the whole chain of events, so why didn't he pay the ultimate price? Dais's thoughts became morbid as he thought of the deaths, pain, and heartache he had caused. In the end, Dais had written Anubis' death certificate when he had originally brought Anubis to Talpa so he would never die. 'Did Talpa kill him?' Dais thought, 'Or did I kill him?'  
Dais wanted to commit ritual suicide. The ex-Warlord of Illusion believed Anubis' soul would have justice if Dais' blood and body were offered. However, only three things were stopping him from doing the ritual. First of all, who would help Sekhmet and Cale survive two funerals? Second of all, he knew that the Ronins would stop him. Wildfire, Strata, Halo, Hardrock, and Torrent lived in a different world, a world where suicide is considered a sign of mental weakness and despair, not a means of an honorable death. The final reason was that Anubis wanted him to live. 'If it weren't for those three things, I'd be dead already.' Dais thought.  
  
Kento heard Dais' ranting. He knew Dais was in pain, and for some odd reason, he wanted to comfort his old enemy. He knew about how Anubis became a Warlord, and he wanted to be angry with Dais. But Kento couldn't find a way to bring out his anger. Anubis had forgiven them, so Kento and the other Ronins should also forgive the other Warlords as well. "Dais," Kento asked as he knocked on the ex-Warlord of Illusion's door, "Can you let me in?"  
Dais opened his door, "What do you want, Hardrock?" He asked in a flat, defeated voice.  
"I think you need to talk about your feelings with someone." Kento replied, getting right to the point.  
"Why should I?" Dais asked.  
"Because, if you don't, your emotional health will suffer." Kento replied.  
"That sounds stupid for someone who wants to commit ritual suicide." Dais said flatly.  
"What! Are you out of your mind? You can't kill yourself. More people will suffer if you do." Kento argued.  
"Anubis' soul will have justice." Dais responded, avoiding his former enemy's eyes.  
"No, it won't." Kento began, "Justice for him is respecting his wishes. And that means that Anubis wanted you to live, be happy, go for your dreams, and most importantly, BE HUMAN. He would not want you to kill yourself, he would want you to have a better life."  
"But how can I live with the guilt?" Dais glared.  
"Maybe Anubis wanted us to take each others hand and grieve together," Kento replied, "I know the Seasons and Elementals are two independent groups of the same soul, but now we need each other. Cale and Sekhmet need you because you are part of the grieving circle. If you see Anubis' death as a failure to do your duty, then you must also realize that it is your duty to see him into the next world."  
Dais smiled, Hardrock was smarter than he looked. He was right in a sense, he did have a duty to see Anubis to the next world. Suicide was not the answer; he had to be alive to perform his duties. He was also needed in this realm.  
"You're smarter than you look Hardrock." Dais smiled.  
"Thanks," Kento blushed, "Just don't tell the others, okay. I have a reputation to keep."  
"I'll be sure to keep this secret." Dais grinned.  
  
Rowen stared at Anubis' body. He was in the commons room that was illuminated with many candles, symbolic, Dais said, of the light he gave to all eight armor bearers. 'You were the light,' Rowen thought, 'but you were snuffed out so cruelly. I wish you had known how much you meant to us.'  
Rowen just looked at the body with a blank look on his face. He had discovered that Anubis was human, and he knew he had to protect him, so why couldn't he save him? He knew what everyone else would say, "Just because you found out the truth about a person, doesn't mean that you have a moral obligation to free that person." Maybe they were right, but Anubis had become a good friend, and he would have done anything to protect them from harm.  
"Ryo," Rowen said as his leader walked into the room, "I failed him."  
"Don't blame yourself," Ryo began, "I share in the responsibility for failing to keep him alive too."  
"I let one of my friends down, Ryo. How can I ever forgive myself?" Rowen questioned.  
"He did what he had to do, Rowen," Ryo replied, "I hate it just as much you do, but even if we weren't trapped in those towers and we tried to stop him, would he have made sure that we wouldn't interfere?"  
"He deserved much better than this Ryo," Rowen began, "he deserved much better than what Talpa gave him."  
"I know," Ryo said sadly.  
Cale walked into the room, "Do you two want to come and get some incense with me?"  
"Sure," Rowen replied as he shrugged his shoulders, "Anything to get out of this place."  
"I'll come too," Ryo said. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
The day of the funeral was rainy; the Warlords, who were dressed in their bicolor sub-armor, lead the procession. Then came the wooden, unpainted coffin that was being carried by four soldiers. Behind the coffin, the Ronins walked in their white and color sub-armor. After them came all the other mourners. The Warlords had spent time before the service making an altar so that they could offer incense and other offerings to Anubis' soul. The gravesite was very simple; Anubis would be buried in a grove of Cherry Blossom trees. He had an obelisk headstone made of black marble. Written on the four sides of the stone was the inscription:  
  
Anubis Koma  
May 5, 1551-April 7, 1995  
"There is no greater love, than to lay down one's life for one's friend."  
  
As the proper words and rituals were being spoken, Ryo and Rowen blanked out, Sage kept his head in a proper and respectful manner, Kento tuned out to the whole service, and Cye was trying to comfort Ryo. The Warlords didn't shed one tear, but they just stared at the coffin. If you looked in the eyes of the three ex-Warlords, they would have appeared flat, lifeless, blank, dazed, and beaten. It would have looked like they had lost the will to do anything.  
When asked to speak on the accomplishments of the deceased, Rowen, Dais, Cale, Sekhmet, and Ryo gave their thoughts and remarks on Anubis, his life, his accomplishments, and what he meant to them. The Warlords told stories, but every story and every memory was slowly killing the remaining eight armor bearers inside.  
After Anubis had been placed in the ground and the other mourners left, all eight of the armor bearers were supposed to go to the altar the Warlords had set up, but Cale, Dais, and Sekhmet started to fill the grave with a layer of Cherry Blossoms. After they filled up the grave with the Cheery Blossom petals, the three Seasons placed the dirt over the coffin. For the first time in Cye's life, he saw Sekhmet cry. 'They shouldn't do this,' he thought, 'It will just kill them more inside.'  
"Hey guys," Cye said, "I think we should help the Warlords cover the grave. They look like they're going to have an emotional breakdown."  
The Warlords didn't notice anything, until Sage walked over to Cale and helped him cover the grave. Soon all eight armor bearers were covering the grave, and when that was done, everyone smoothed out the top layer of earth and placed another layer of Cherry Blossom petals.  
For what felt like eternity, the five Elements and three Seasons just stood there. The silence was shattered when Cale started to sob.  
Sage comforted his opposite as best he could, 'for so long they thought nothing can hurt them, when deep down inside, they're very vulnerable human beings. They needed each other, and Anubis was the stability in this group. Now that he's gone, their whole world is falling apart, and they can't deal with it.'  
"Hey," Kento said, looking at the ex-Warlords, "You can stay with us for a few days, if you want to talk it out."  
"Thank you Hardrock," Dais said, "but we must finish the funeral ceremony. Then we can talk about it."  
With that said, everyone left the grave site and went back to the castle.  
  
The altar was the most beautiful one Rowen had ever seen. In the center was a picture of Anubis in a gold and silver frame. The altar was made of white marble and had a pale blue cloth cover the top. Surrounding the altar were various spring plants. Rowen could pick out Cherry Blossoms, Lilies, and other spring flowers. He noticed that there were more Cherry Blossoms and Lilies than any other types of flowers. "We chose Cherry Blossoms," Dais smiled, "because it was Anubis' favorite flower."  
"In the Western world," Sekhmet replied, "Lilies are considered a symbol of hope and resurrection."  
"It's appropriate," Ryo nodded, "Symbols of life in a time of grief."  
Dais lit his incense sticks first and prayed. He prayed for forgiveness, he prayed for Anubis' soul to be well in the land of dead, and he thanked the Kami for giving Anubis to them. Even if was for a short amount time.  
Cale made his incense offering. He prayed that Anubis was well in the land of the dead, he prayed that Anubis forgive him for all the times they fought. He prayed to thank the Kami for giving Anubis to them, and he prayed that Anubis be released from all his suffering and pain.  
Sekhmet then offered his incense and prayers. He prayed that Anubis forgive him for all the times he cursed him, he prayed in thanksgiving for Anubis' ability to look past the serpent eyes and see a human being, and he prayed in thanksgiving to the Kami for giving them Anubis.  
  
After everyone made their offering and prayers, the eight armor bearers went into the dinning hall for the funeral feast. The other mourners, who were already there stood up respectfully as the eight armor bearers took their seats. The feast was wonderful, but everyone wasn't really hungry. It didn't really shock Cye that Kento wasn't pigging out, but then again he didn't feel like eating either.  
Ryo noticed that while the guests ate away, the eight of them weren't even seriously eating. Few bites here and there, but nothing to fill them. Ryo excused himself; he couldn't keep up with these rituals, and he just wanted to be alone. He wanted to cry until he could cry no more, and he did.  
It wasn't until several minutes later, that Sekhmet came in and saw Ryo crying. Sekhmet couldn't keep up with the feast and excused himself. "Wildfire," he began, "people are wondering where we are."  
"I don't care," Ryo sobbed, "I need to be alone."  
"We all need to be alone," Sekhmet agreed, "But we're trying to conform to the customs to help us move on."  
"Each of us grieve in our own way," Ryo said, "One tradition doesn't always fit everyone."  
"I know," Sekhmet replied, "but these customs have helped me realize all the things that I've done."  
"We aren't perfect," Ryo said.  
"Neither was Anubis," Sekhmet agreed, "He had his faults too."  
"Do you think we'll see him again?" Ryo asked.  
"Maybe in the next world," Sekhmet replied.  
"I hope he's in a better place," Ryo sighed.  
"I know." Sekhmet said quietly, "we would have only put him in more danger if he were alive."  
Ryo smiled, "I guess he was never really safe with anyone."  
Sekhmet just looked at Ryo.  
Ryo looked back at Sekhmet, "Maybe we can start to come together," he said, "now that all eight of us have admitted that we're not all powerful."  
"Maybe we are getting somewhere Wildfire," Sekhmet laughed.  
Ryo laughed as well.  
"Then let's go back to the feast, everyone will start to wonder." Sekhmet said.  
As Ryo and Sekhmet left the isolated room, the ghostly image of a red-haired man watched. This was what he meant by the armors united as one. The man knew it would take some work, but what was meant to be would happen. The man smiled, what he had done, his final act, was not in vain. 


End file.
